Is the Hood Scoop for looks or does it work in the 2011?

 

looks

 

works - it helps vent heat off of the Turbo charger.

 

It lets a bit of extra fresh air into the engine bay while driving and lets some hot out when parked. It doesn't feed any to the intake which i assume is what the OP was asking. It would be better to be reversed to suck out hot air while driving.

 

Sounds like a good idea for a project.

 

Yeah I would say it works to some extent given that its actually open, unlike most cars that have a closed insert on the front. The heat from the turbo certainly pours out of it when the car is shut off and sitting still. I don't know how much cooling effect it would provide at speed though...

 

+12345. A non functional scoop is, to me, one that is blocked off. Is the scoop on a 2nd gen MCS feeding an intercooler like a 1st gen MCS or a WRX? No. But it does allow cool air into the engine bay, which is never a bad thing.

 

I have been thinking of taking my dremel tool and opening it up a little more. Thoughts? Opinions?

 

or just remove the insert^^^^^

 

I would rather just drill out some of the "holes" (as in non-open) so that the rest of the frame acts as a screen of sorts to keep out bigger ash and trash.

 

Might want to do a forum search on the scoop topic. In 2007 -2009 there was lots of traffic on this subject.
My recollection - short version:
New R56 - 2007 came with a completely closed scoop. Enthusiast soon found that when at rest, following hard drives, the Turbo heat would accumulate and warp the scoop. MINI soon responded by opening up the inlet just enough to let out some of the heat to address customer satisfaction (and repeated warranty claims).
Some MINI owners wanted Bigger air flow and started increasing the scoop opening. The result of that was three fold: 1- Faster cool off at rest, 2- More rain and debris in the engine compartment, and 3- it disturbed the carefully engineered low pressure air flow designed to extract heat from the engine compartment at speed (ref: go visually observe your splitter and lower air dam). This resulted in higher engine temperatures for every drive, not just when driving hard.
Some believe that a 'Functional' scoop must be connected the engines induction system in a manner that will result in cooler and/or positive air pressure, when at speed) to the induction system. If that is not how it is or will be connected then it is RICE (Race Inspired Cosmetic Enhancement).
The R53 qualified because the Intercooler was mounted below the Scoop. The R56s et al scoop is a cosmetic styling que to the marque's legacy, except of course, for the Turbo's heat problem.

 

well said^

 

Get yourself a Mini Fini stainless steel insert and open it up...

 

Nice, I see they have a black one as well.

 

I have a 2011 and 2008 MCS and they both have small slits in the hood scoops

 

Steam pours out of my scoop when it's raining after a long drive. Looks like a dragon

 

What? Please explain that.

 

I went Mini Fini at The Dragon. Thanks, 10Zero!

 

For the original question of asking if it's functional, of course people have answered that they have quite a few openings in the center of the vent, but quite a few websites sell cold air intakes that go straight from the hood scoop, therefore being able to get more cold air and creating more horsepower and making the hood scoop functional.
Conclusion: Stock it only cools the engine and relieves the turbo of hot air, but with an intake that goes to the hood scoop, makes it functional.

 

If you want a CAI, the only true one (besides stock... figure it out yourself) is Defenders of Speed:

http://defendersofspeed.com/store/pr...p?id_product=6

Trust me, you'll love it!

 

The stock intake is a true cold air intake. If you want more air flow, get a high flow drop in air filter, if you want more flow and more noise, get an aftermarket cold air intake.

Dave

 

I'm talking about hood scoop to CAI. On the other hand, I prefer my classic K&N typhoon intake.

 

yeah when its raining steam comes out of mine when i stop and it looks awesome. the opening is right above the turbo so it does help flow air over it to keep it cooler.

 

As I said....

 

Only one... DDM Works:

http://www.ddmworks.com/mini/cooper_...ngine/ris.html

The only problem I see is the heat coming off of the turbo heating the air coming down the chute, unless one had a heat shield over the turbo... Tis why I went DoS.